boy hooked the thumb of his good hand into his belt loop and puffed out his chest. "I'm gonna be even better'n my dad."
They laughed. Brady nodded at the cast on Kyle's arm. "What happened to you?"
"I was in a rodeo over in Stephenville and an ornery calf got the better of me."
Brady shook his head. "So you're still ridin' the circuit?"
"Yeah. Guess I'm not smart enough to quit. What about you? You still in the hardware business?"
He shook his head. "They built a big new Wal-Mart down the road, put us out of business. Now I'm working construction, building homes in one of those new subdivisions west of here."
"It must suit you. You look good." He'd put on a little weight, but just enough to make him look more solid. Settled.
Brady grinned. "I can't believe you're still rodeoin'. So I guess this means you aren't married."
He shook his head. "I haven't let a woman lasso me yet."
A nurse appeared in the waiting-room doorway. "Derrick Robbins?"
"Looks like we got to go." Brady stuck out his hand. "Good to see you, man. Good luck with the wrist."
"Good to see you, too."
Kyle rode an otherwise empty elevator down to street level, trying to wrap his mind around the idea of his old buddy Brady as a dad with a kid old enough to be in school. Not that he didn't know a lot of men his age with families, but none of those men had ever been like him, living the free and easy life, competing for big money, their days and nights revolving around those few minutes in the arena and celebrating or commiserating at the beer halls afterward. That kind of life seemed a long way from where Brady was now.
If he'd thought Brady would envy his freedom, he hadn't seen any sign of it. If anything, his old pard had looked a little sorry for Kyle. Almost thirty and still playing a kid's game, he imagined Brady saying to his wife. Who does he think he's fooling?
He studied his reflection in the polished metal doors of the elevator. Except for the cast, he looked the same as he always had. A few more lines around his eyes maybe, but he was as lean and muscular as ever, his hair just as thick. He hadn't really changed on the outside.
He exited the elevator and headed for his truck. He'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't grown up and changed on the inside. He was getting tired of his life--of the travel, of trying to keep up with young hotshots barely out of their teens, of not knowing where he'd be or what he'd be doing next year or even next month.
He didn't want to settle down on the ranch and take up the kind of life Kristen wanted for him, but he couldn't see keeping on the way he had been, either. There had to be a compromise somewhere, something he could do that would be satisfying and productive without being boring.
He started up the truck and waited for traffic to clear before he turned out into the street. At least he had tonight to look forward to. Theresa was anything but boring, and she didn't badger a man with questions. Maybe because she didn't want him poking too deep into her own affairs.
He remembered her remark about attending the rodeo as part of some charity group of underprivileged kids. He'd about bit his tongue off to keep from asking about that. After all, they'd made a bargain. They weren't going to concern themselves with the past or future. All they would focus on was right now and enjoying themselves with each other. Things didn't get complicated that way. Heaven knows, he wasn't a man who liked complications.
T HERESA HAD SPENT SO MUCH time saying goodbye to Kyle, she was late to work. Not that it really mattered, since Scott had a key, but she hated having to rush. So she wasn't in the best of moods when she was confronted with yet another group of protesters. Today the crowd was all women, some with little kids in tow. Great, she thought. Teach your babies to be intolerant from the start.
She started to say as much when one of the women reached down to jerk her kid out of Theresa's path, as if she
They laughed. Brady nodded at the cast on Kyle's arm. "What happened to you?"
"I was in a rodeo over in Stephenville and an ornery calf got the better of me."
Brady shook his head. "So you're still ridin' the circuit?"
"Yeah. Guess I'm not smart enough to quit. What about you? You still in the hardware business?"
He shook his head. "They built a big new Wal-Mart down the road, put us out of business. Now I'm working construction, building homes in one of those new subdivisions west of here."
"It must suit you. You look good." He'd put on a little weight, but just enough to make him look more solid. Settled.
Brady grinned. "I can't believe you're still rodeoin'. So I guess this means you aren't married."
He shook his head. "I haven't let a woman lasso me yet."
A nurse appeared in the waiting-room doorway. "Derrick Robbins?"
"Looks like we got to go." Brady stuck out his hand. "Good to see you, man. Good luck with the wrist."
"Good to see you, too."
Kyle rode an otherwise empty elevator down to street level, trying to wrap his mind around the idea of his old buddy Brady as a dad with a kid old enough to be in school. Not that he didn't know a lot of men his age with families, but none of those men had ever been like him, living the free and easy life, competing for big money, their days and nights revolving around those few minutes in the arena and celebrating or commiserating at the beer halls afterward. That kind of life seemed a long way from where Brady was now.
If he'd thought Brady would envy his freedom, he hadn't seen any sign of it. If anything, his old pard had looked a little sorry for Kyle. Almost thirty and still playing a kid's game, he imagined Brady saying to his wife. Who does he think he's fooling?
He studied his reflection in the polished metal doors of the elevator. Except for the cast, he looked the same as he always had. A few more lines around his eyes maybe, but he was as lean and muscular as ever, his hair just as thick. He hadn't really changed on the outside.
He exited the elevator and headed for his truck. He'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't grown up and changed on the inside. He was getting tired of his life--of the travel, of trying to keep up with young hotshots barely out of their teens, of not knowing where he'd be or what he'd be doing next year or even next month.
He didn't want to settle down on the ranch and take up the kind of life Kristen wanted for him, but he couldn't see keeping on the way he had been, either. There had to be a compromise somewhere, something he could do that would be satisfying and productive without being boring.
He started up the truck and waited for traffic to clear before he turned out into the street. At least he had tonight to look forward to. Theresa was anything but boring, and she didn't badger a man with questions. Maybe because she didn't want him poking too deep into her own affairs.
He remembered her remark about attending the rodeo as part of some charity group of underprivileged kids. He'd about bit his tongue off to keep from asking about that. After all, they'd made a bargain. They weren't going to concern themselves with the past or future. All they would focus on was right now and enjoying themselves with each other. Things didn't get complicated that way. Heaven knows, he wasn't a man who liked complications.
T HERESA HAD SPENT SO MUCH time saying goodbye to Kyle, she was late to work. Not that it really mattered, since Scott had a key, but she hated having to rush. So she wasn't in the best of moods when she was confronted with yet another group of protesters. Today the crowd was all women, some with little kids in tow. Great, she thought. Teach your babies to be intolerant from the start.
She started to say as much when one of the women reached down to jerk her kid out of Theresa's path, as if she
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